1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a movable wall, which movable wall has at least two movable wall elements. The at least two movable wall elements are mounted so that they can move on at least one stationary, horizontal guide rail by support and guidance elements.
2. Background Information
Similar movable walls can be used for a wide variety of purposes. A circulating drive chain can be provided in the vicinity of the guide rail so that when the drive is actuated, the individual movable wall elements can be driven in either direction. Depending on the specific application, the individual movable wall elements can be made of a solid panel, e.g. wood or metal, or can also be made of a translucent panel, e.g. glass. Such a movable wall can be used to divide a large room into smaller sections. Movable walls can also be used to separate storerooms and offices in shopping centers or shopping malls from the public areas. In the latter case, for example, the movable wall must be opened or closed two or four times a day. When the movable wall is open, the movable wall elements are generally parked with their flat sides parallel to one another in a "railroad yard". To close the movable wall, the movable wall elements can be moved into the closed position one after the other along the guide rail or guide rails, so that they close off a room opening between two walls. For such an application, one guide rail, for example, can be located on the ceiling and another on the floor of the room.
German Patent No. 44 24 660 C1 discloses a horizontally movable wall in which, in front of an existing guide rail in which the individual elements can be moved, an additional rail system is installed in the vicinity of the ceiling. A switchable coupling device is equipped with an identification system to locate the individual elements. The individual elements contain corresponding indicators. The switchable coupling device runs in this system of rails. The switchable coupling device moves the individual elements into the parked position in which the individual elements are pivoted by 90 degrees. The entire system is driven by an electric motor which drives an endless belt via a pulley. Together with a program-controlled system, the identification system is controlled so that after a learning cycle is performed, the identification system is able to recognize the individual elements and move the partition into the parked position or into the closed position, as required. It is also possible to realize only one partial opening, for example, to avoid opening the entire facade in cold weather. The switchable coupling device consists of an electromagnet. Attached to the armature of the electromagnet there is a rod, bar, slide or coupling, which rod is fork-shaped in its projecting area so that it engages a connecting pin between the truck and the element below the truck. Thus, the entire element moves in the guide rail as specified by the desired program. The coupling device and the identification system are supplied with the corresponding signals and the required power either via wiper or sliding contacts or via a trailing cable. The identification system can thereby be a sensor, e.g. a proximity switch. Optical systems, magnets with corresponding reed contacts or other types of switches can also be used.
German Patent No. 31 48 464 C2 teaches the use of a device for moving movable suspended partitions. Such a known device uses guide rails, which guide rails are realized in intersecting T-shaped or Y-shaped patterns or curves, to park the various partitions in the corner of a room.
German Patent No. 72 47 479 U1 teaches the use of an acute angle junction. At this junction, one of the two carrier devices enters the branch rail, while the second carrier device of the wall element continues to move in the straight guide rail.
A similar junction is disclosed in German Patent No. 21 08 593 A1.
The guide rails, which guide rails are designed on the basis of the distance to be travelled by the movable wall elements from the yard into the closed position, are turned in a 90 degree curve in the vicinity of the room opening to be closed, to make it possible for the movable wall elements to be pivoted from the parked position into the closed position. one problem caused by this curvature of the guide rails is that the last movable wall element in the direction of the closing movement must be moved into the room opening until it has been fully pivoted into its final position. In the final position, the last movable wall element is flush with the other movable wall elements. For this reason, an open gap remains in the vicinity of the above-mentioned curve of the guide rail, even after the final movable wall element is in the closed position of the movable wall.
In similar known movable wall systems, a wide variety of devices have been used to close this gap. The most common remedial measure is to provide a door-like pivoting closing shutter in this vicinity. Such a shutter has an unattractive appearance, however, and must, in every respect, be considered a makeshift solution. The known art also teaches the use of an additional guide rail which corresponds only to the final movable wall element, and guides only this movable wall element into the closed position. This guide rail ends in this vicinity and is not curved into a curve which bring the element in line with the closed wall. This solution entails a variety of technical problems, and in spite of the added effort and expense, it is still not satisfactory.